batterypark's Profile
Looking for suggestions -- Saturday lunch/50th Anniversary with 7 adults, 5 kids
That puts Otto in the running. Do you know if they have a private room or curtain off a couple of tables?
Wo Hop
No. It is not the best food in Chinatown. It has a huge fan base, but the people who love it are attracted to a certain nostalgia, the prices, the quantities, and old school Chinese American style food. There are a number of great places to choose from. My go to place is Old Yeah Shanghai on the corner of Mott and Bayard. Try the crab and rice noodle in a pot, the Tong Po pork and the soup dumplings. I know most people swear by the soup dumplings a block away at Joe's Shanghai, but I think the overall menu at Old Yeah Shanghai is better.
I brought home food from Wo Hop a couple of months ago. I didn't like it much. My wife and daughter would not eat it. It went into the garbage.
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Joe's Shanghai
24 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019
Wo Hop
17 Mott St, New York, NY 10013
Two days in NY with 7 people: Theatre District advice?
I'm a big fan of Otto. Order all of the small dishes you can manage. They serve the best cheese plate I've ever had. Wine is also reasonable for NY. Pastas are an incredible value for the quality. Deserts get expensive, so you may just want to wait until you've left the restaurant and find somewhere else for desert.
I'd also recommend Po, on Cornelia Street. It is small and serves regional Italian that isn't available everywhere. Originally a Mario Batali restaurant, years back, his influences still show.
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Cornelia Street Cafe
29 Cornelia Street, New York, NY 10014
Looking for great evening of Japanese (esque) tastings, sushi, sake, nice room
If you're interested in Tribeca, you might try Takahachi on Reade Street near West Broadway. You may not see all of their small plates looking at an on-line menu, as the chef tends to make up interesting things on the spot.
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Takahachi
145 Duane St, New York, NY 10013
Looking for suggestions -- Saturday lunch/50th Anniversary with 7 adults, 5 kids
We'd like to find someplace nice which has a room or at least a somewhat separate area so that the kids don't impose on others, but we won't need to spend the whole meal telling them not to fidget.
We're thinking around $25-50 per person, no alcohol. We may have another 4-8 adults.
Wanted: Richmond Chinese with Dungenese Crab
Where would you order this? How much should I be prepared to pay?
I'll be there tomorrow.
Westside Market - Past sell date dairy and spoiled food
Many of their great deals on cheese are for cheese that is past its prime if not spoiled, but I still buy cheese from the 14th Street location. I have returned things which should never have been sold (a pain in the neck), including a cheese spread which was full of mold. A lot of cheese which should only be served at room temperature is stored and sold and room temperature. Just be careful.
Comox -- looking for good food on a budget
We're willing to put together a good picnic if that's the best way to go this. Otherwise, is there are good way to get a good meal in this area that is not too pricey?
Duncan -- good eats, especially First Nation
We will be driving around to look at the totem poles and think that First Nation food will hit the mark. Has anyone had a good First Nation meal near Duncan? If not, what would you recommend?
Richmond -- moderate priced food wanted for lunch and dinner
We're thinking one fish and chips meal and one Chinese meal. The B&B where we are staying offers a simple Chinese breakfast and other than that we are on our own. We spending a full day in the area before taking a morning ferry to Salt Spring Island and plan to see Stevetson, but don't have a firm agenda. All suggestions are welcome.
Salt Spring Island -- need provisions for BBQ
We;re staying at a B&B on Salt Spring Island next Wednesday Night and have access to the BBQ. Any suggestions for provisions?
Vancouver Restaurants
As an out of towner I can say that the Cannery, visited 7 years ago, was a great experience and one I intend to repeat again when I visit Vancouver in August. Another favorite was the Teahouse in Stanley Park (which now goes by another name, but the menu was similar when I last checked). If you are willing to drive up to Horseshoe Bay there is a great seafood restaurant (it may be the Boathouse, but I can't recall) with an outdoor patio with gaslight heating. If you are bringing people from out of town pick a place with a view as it will really enhance the experience.
Desserts in or near West Village
Rocco's, on Bleecker Street beteen 6th and 7th, is quite good and can accomodate a reasonably larger group is necessary. Service can be slow some days and quick other days.
W. Village Lunch
If the group is small, Petite Abelle on Hudson. For more than six people, try AOC on Grove at Bleecker.
South Street Seaport Recs
Stella Maris on Front Street. The chef has a real knack for seafood, but the kitchen also puts out a great burger and fries. Wonderful selection of beer. Oysters and clams on the half shell served cold and briny as they should be.
I have only been to Carmine's once and found it to be on the same level as restaurants you would find in a shopping mall across the U.S. -- my guess is that a lot of their food comes from the freezer or cans -- but many people like that style.
restaurant recommendation near minetta lane theatre
PO on Cornelia Street for Italian. Yama on Carmine Street for Japanese.
Where Would You Eat After 2 AM In Manhattan?
Anywhere that is still open in Chinatown at 2 a.m.! There are a couple of seafood restaurants on Bowery below Canal, but I have not been to either in a couple of years and the names keep changing, but the food is always good. Wo Hop is among the most American style of Chinese places, but it is a reliable standby for lo mein, chow mein, chow fun, sweet and sour anything. If New Yeah Shanghai (Bayard St.) is still open at that hour, that would be my first choice.
Foodie parentals coming to visit. What do you think of this list?
And another voice says Shake Shack is not a place to bring your parents for lunch, but Perry Street is (last time I was there the 3 course lunch menu was $24 and you could get a decent bottle of wine at lunch for $20). For dinner consider upstairs at Bouley Bakery -- very small and no reservations, but some very nice food and very foodie oriented. I'm also quite partial to Stella Maris on Front Street if you'll be over by the South Street Seaport -- excellent oysters and a very nice menu heavy on the seafood -- not a tourist spot at all. Try the sea bass over celerac puree.
Where can I buy maple sugar?
Trader Joe's has maple syrup at good prices -- they might have maple sugar.
Seafood in Manhattan preferably below 57th
Stella Maris, on Front Street near the South Street Seaport, for really good fish and a number of choices (not just shrimp, flounder or salmon). Last week I had a great sea bass dish. Oysters on the half shell could not have been fresher. Entrees are generally in the low end of your price range.
Best bread basket? (not served with butter)
Primitivo on West 14th Street has a really good bread basket. Ditto North Square on Washington Square Park.
where to take veggie friend
Dim Sum Go Go on East Broadway in Chinatown. In addition to the wonderful dim sum which is available all hours the walnut and chive dish is outstanding.
Oysters and Beer in Manhattan
Stella Maris has a great selection of beer on tap and oysters at the bar are often 1/2 price.
Theater District
Lunch -- Saigon 48 just east of 8th Avenue on 48th Street puts you very close to the theater. It's not expensive and it's quite good. For breakfast or even a light lunch go to Amy's Bread on 9th Avenue -- they bake their bread on premises and everything is just wonderful. If you're seeing an afternoon show you don't want to go overboard during lunch or you're risk getting sleepy, very sleepy.
Best in Chinatown?
Hunan House closed around a decade ago -- it was a favorite of mine from when I first started coming into Chinatown in the late 1970s and I don't know any other place for Hunan Lamb in NYC.
Katz's
And never ask for lean meat -- the slicers know what tastes best and it is the meat with the most fat on it.
Union Sq Green Market
Keep in mind that there is not too much fresh produce this early in the season. Lots of baked goods, cheese, fish, meat, honey, preserves, plants and winter apples, but not much in the way of greens. You will want to get there early in order to compete with local chefs.
Live Dungeness Crab
On Mulberry Street just below Canal or on the corner of East Broadway and Catherine, I don't know the name of either but they are both in Chinatown, the crabs are live in tanks.
Simple but good Dinner Downtown with a Mate
AOC on Bleeker (at Grove Street) does a nice burger, great fries, and has a really good beer selection.
New Yeah Shanghai Deluxe - what to order?
If you are going with a group the restaurant has banquet menus which are a very good value. The 10 person menu is excellent. We went there for Chinese New Year (two tables of ten plus a separate table with children who ordered for themselves) and nearly everyone in our group returned to the restaurant soon after.
If you are just ordering off the menu I would suggest the Chrystanthemum Fish (pardon the spelling) a whole fish, bones removed, scored, doused in flour (perhaps waterchestnut flour) an deep fried, then sauced with a sweet and sour sauce with bits of mushroom, carrot and green peas in the sauce; the silken tofu and crabmeat (oddly listed with vegetables on the menu, rather than with the seafood) is inspired; casserole of blue crab with rice vermicelli; the deep fried eel with sauteed shrimp disappears before everyone at the table can try it; the fried rice cakes are a favorite with kids. We had to cancel our plans to go there on Tuesday, but I was looking forward to trying a new dish. The only dish I have ever been disappointed by was the seafood casserole -- heavy on cabbage and tofu, surnami crab and other filler, quite light on the seafood -- it was such a letdown that I would not have returned to Yeah Shanghai if that had been my only meal there. If you need a couple of extra people to have the right number for a banquet, I am always hungry for a meal at Yeah Shanghai.
